SIGNALIS: WALKING SIMULATOR DX
damn, it only took me 6 months of processing to write this review
signalis has, hands down, the densest atmosphere of anything i've ever played. a lot of this lies with my priorities- that is to say, sound design above all. i can feel myself transported into the desolate corridors of signalis simply by listening to audio of the game on youtube. the whirrs and whines of the desktop. the click of elster's pointy feet on the metal floor. the muffled soundtrack that blurs the line between the mechanical ambience of an automated place left abandoned and traditional composition. combine these immaculate soundsketches with the inky black visuals often only punctuated by the fuzzy lights of old tech and unforgettable character designs (top 10 coolest looking video game women list could consist of this entire cast) and you get a world that needs no scares to feel oppressive and tense. it feels like i myself am trapped there, am one with elster exploring these grim and haunted rooms. when simply walking around is so captivating independent of any mechanics, the decision to focus on slow-burn non-linear story rather than straightforward freakshit (as would be default for modern horror games) is fine cheese and wine.
that oneness i experienced with elster applies doubly as i watch her unfold this tragic penrose-ian mystery. i think it's notable how signalis primarily creates horror from the transhumanist and queer themes. it gives the story a heady cyberpunk edge i wouldn't expect from a survival horror title, but now that i've played this i don't understand why more titles don't combine the two. for all of the blunt references, it's awe-inspiring how everything comes together to form something that feels new even for someone (me) who has experienced all the media the creators are pulling from.
that being said the combat is piss-easy even on survival mode (i beat it in 5 hours carrying no health or weapons except for boss fights) and i kind of wish it was like a puzzle game or something. not that the puzzles are all that fun or brain-stimulating either? the fact that the developer has had to release a patch that makes the game easier is so funny when you compare the difficulty to any ps2 survival horror title. kind of a massive milquetoast stain, but hey, what can you do. at least the low difficulty means that you'll spend most of the non-story time walking around, and damn, isn't this a great game to just walk around in.
END GAME REVIEW